This weekend I listened to Terry Gross’ interview of Bill O’Reilly. During the interview, Bill gets upset, cries about how it isn’t fair, and leaves. I don’t know if he is unwilling or unable to defend his positions – but ranting about how it isn’t fair – about the different treatment that other guests get – only proves his relatively low maturity level and does nothing to make me want to listen to his opinions.

I’ve noticed that this is a common fault of Mr. O’Reilly’s. He gets offended whenever his position is challenged and responds with an aggressive rant. For an example, just watch his show (if you can stomach it). His reasoning is hardly that – instead of reason he relies primarily on the fallacies of appealing to emotion and to authority.

I wish to propose for the reader’s favourable consideration a doctrine which may, I fear, appear wildly paradoxical and subversive. The doctrine in question is this: that it is undesirable to believe a proposition when there is no ground whatever for supposing it true.